Hello, my darlings! It’s your favourite pink-loving, tutu-adoring, time-travelling ballerina, Emma, back again with another #TutuTuesday. Today we’re stepping back in time to a very special date – 2nd July 1878. Fancy a little historical adventure? Hop aboard my trusty pink time-machine (I did mention I was fond of the colour, right?), and off we go!
I do love a bit of time travel, and you’ll find I’m absolutely wild about historical dance fashion, as you’ll know if you’ve read my past posts on www.pink-tutu.com.
And it’s all thanks to you lovely lot! Every time you take a pew at the ballet, every time you shop for a new tulle creation, and every time you share your pink tutu passion with the world, it propels my pink time-machine that much further, and deeper into the swirling dance history of the world!
Now, where was I? Ah yes, 2nd July 1878. The date is significant as we’re in Paris! Can you imagine the excitement? Imagine boulevard cafes buzzing with life, artists in bohemenian attire gracing the Parisian streets, and a sense of pure cultural explosion hanging in the air… all so beautifully dressed! We’re on the verge of the 20th century, just as a new wave of fashion and artistry is about to hit! You’d need a thousand tutus to spin fast enough to keep up with it all.
Our Parisian friend, Monsieur Jules Perrot, a ballet maestro and the choreographer for La Esmeralda, was also hard at work on a piece called "The Dancing Lesson", a comedic take on an eccentric student at a ballet school, and it's an intriguing title. What a brilliant combination of humor and ballet – I must confess, the cheeky ballet stories do tickle me pink. It reminds me of a time when the dance itself felt light, joyful, and a touch subversive! What was he thinking with those twirling, graceful, pirouetting dance routines in 1878? Why it's revolutionary of course!
Oh, did I mention my little sartorial excursion here? It was like a fairy tale come to life! The Parisian boutiques, like gilded cages filled with beautiful silk and lace. It was simply exquisite. The bustle was almost as exciting as the train ride, even for a seasoned time-traveller! I snagged some gorgeous velvets and silks, imagining the beautiful dancers adorned in elegant outfits.
And don't even get me started on the incredible millinery - it's no surprise, really, because this was the Golden Age of ballet in Europe! Everyone loved a beautifully constructed tutu, as well as elegant gowns with their billowing silks and satins - we do so love an elegant, graceful sweep of silk don't we. Every one wore tutus with that special Parisian flair - all the right fabrics, a generous sprinkle of tulle - oh la la.
But back to the tutu history! In Paris in 1878, the world was getting ready to embrace the "Romanticism" period, with tutus just starting to take centre stage. You can feel the influence of fashion of the time; it was flowing and romantic, echoing the artistic themes of the time.
Can you imagine? Ballet costumes – especially tutus - really embraced the lightness and the romance! There was this new focus on the feminine, which we still feel in our tutus today. Think flowing fabrics, ribbons and frills - we adore this feminine flair - oh how we do!
One particularly lovely detail I adored - and now see pop up all the time - were the ribbons flowing off a tutu. We adore this beautiful graceful and romantic element to a tutu; it seems we just can't have too many ribbons. And in 1878? They were just beginning to become part of the story and charm of dance - you can't tell me those ribbons don't make for a beautiful story in the dance. Those little romantic flourishes of detail make a beautiful design for me - just like you lovely people.
Even more wonderful were those "pas de deux" – where a pair of dancers danced together in beautiful unity – just as my time machine brings a pair of decades together! Those incredible movements. The way those two dancers worked together with exquisite control.
I felt utterly giddy – so lost in the grace and power of the ballet that I practically went into a spin! If my time machine wasn't secured to my belt, I would be off, like a pink spinning comet of silk and tutus!
In Paris on that date, you can see a glimpse into our ballet world as we know it today! The romantic elements and stories are what give the ballet its unique feel – I feel it in my heart, and I believe you do too. Isn't it the most beautiful way to express the feelings that only dance can portray?
You love it. I love it. And now we know how much people loved it in 1878!
And, in all the time travel I do, it’s the shared love of dance that stays constant! The dancers are incredible, the fashion exquisite, and the sheer elegance and joy of dance makes me spin. Isn't it fascinating to think that the very things we adore today in ballet have existed since then?
Don’t forget to share your #TutuTuesday on social media. Remember - every time you do, it fuels my pink time-machine for more travels, adventures and stories about tutus and all that wonderful history that awaits!
See you next Tuesday, my dears!
xx Emma
